New Zealand-based personal manufacturing service Ponoko has posed a mystery with an obscure post on their blog. The entire text of the post is:

Hello Europe

It may be snowing…. but some bright rays are on their way.

We know that Ponoko has already set up a satellite manufacturing hubs in the USA (San Francisco area), but this is the first we've heard about Ponoko setting up a European manufacturing hub.

Or do we?

Perhaps the summer-soaked New Zealanders are merely having pity on the wintery Europeans in the northern hemisphere.

Via Ponoko

• Faster turnaround (however, we saw no statistics on this) at similar cost
• Sleek design (see image above)
• Enhanced software that simplifies the process, including optimized waste removal
• Smooth curves and "parts that have a real tactile finish"
• Parts with "variable stiffness"

• Hector Serrano (objects to reduce carbon footprint)
  
• Redesign's Doing It for the Kids (sustainable toys and other play resources)
  

Why put up with existing products when you can make your own? Today, powerful digital fabrication technology lets you design and build almost anything, and we want to help you make the most of it. Design an object from scratch or redesign an existing one – it’s up to you. Surprise yourself and others, and enter your work in the (un)limited design contest. It’s all about sharing ideas, creativity and blueprints. All in the spirit of open design.

(Un)limited Design Contest invites anybody -- designers, makers, amateurs -- to submit their own designs in the area of form, fashion and food. If you win, your design will be made available at 0900-Design's shop and website, and you'll get help with marketing your product further.

Open design
Unique about the (Un)limited Design Contest is that all designs are open for anybody to be used, re-interpreted and redesigned. These derivative designs are also entitled to take part in the contest -- even more: copying and improving designs is strongly encouraged. It’s all about sharing ideas, creativity and expertise. In the spirit of open design, each entry’s instructions and blueprints will be made available on the contest website under a creative commons license.

Fablab
Just visit one of the FabLabs between 13 August and 12 October and enter the (Un)limited Design Contest 2009. These open high-tech workshops have computers and special computer-controlled prototyping machines you can use to design and 3D-print nearly any object you can imagine.

(Un)limited Design Contest 2009 is a production of Waag Society and Premsela, Dutch Platform for Design and Fashion in cooperation with the Dutch FabLabs and Creative Commons Nederland

The annual Chaos Communication Conference takes place in Berlin this December, and the call for papers has been issued. Categories include: Hacking, Socieiy, Culture, Community, Science and Making:

The ‘Making’ category is all about making and breaking things and the wonderful stuff you can build in your basement or garage. Most welcome are submissions dealing with the latest in electronics, 3D-fabbing, climate-change survival technology, robots and drones, steam machines, alternative transportation tools and guerilla-style knitting.

We're looking forward to the results of this conference as it always produces something interesting.

Via CCC.de